Tuesday afternoon’s public hearing on “Salvage,” the sculpture made of salvaged metal displayed on Main Street, brought more than 30 artists and area residents to the City Council chambers — more people than have ever attended a Historical District Commission meeting, said facilitator and Main Street manager Jane Braud.

It turned out, however, that the main issue was not the statue itself, but rather how to maintain the character of the historical district. Residents were particularly concerned about Winmill Service Station at 800 East Main St., which they said was unclean and out of character with the district, prompting the Historic District Commission to agree to draft a letter of concern to the owner.

Some local residents said they simply thought the business had outgrown its location and should move. Braud said the business was grandfathered into the district.

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Winmill owner Corey Winmill, who took the business over from his father in 2005, said this morning the business will not move.

Winmill said neighbors had called the state Department of Environmental Quality, who “cleared us out.”

“If there was a problem, (DEQ) would have said something,” he said.

Winmill added that conflict with neighbors is something the business has been “going through” for “a long time.”

He also said he does not believe the business is too big for its location.

Dianne Landry and other residents mentioned problems keeping properties in the historic district clean and free from trash.

“I think that the people who are here are concerned about our neighborhood, whether it be the sculpture or whether it be Winmill,” said Michelle Meche, president of the East Main Street Historic District (residents’) Association.

She said maintaining the area’s character will always be a concern unless the Historic District Commission becomes more of a regulatory body.

Artist and musician Joshua “Bubba” Murrell spoke about the problems of defining and regulating “art,” especially privately owned art on private property.

Michell Thornton, who with her husband, Tribbey, owns the property on which “Salvage” is placed, said the family will leave the statue where it is.

“We wanted to see how people felt about it,” she said, adding the statue seemed to be more a podium from which to start discussion about Winmill.

Joseph Jilbert, the artist, was unable to attend the meeting.

“The sculpture turned out to do what art should do — it was a great catalyst,” Mayor Pro Tem and artist Freddie DeCourt said. “What the sculpture did was get the community together to talk about many issues in the Historic District.”